Ice Fantasy 幻城 – As Long As
by The Iron Triangle
Summary: When the Fire Tribe seizes the Snow Bladed City, Ying Kong Shi and Ka Suo flee to the mortal realm in search of refuge, unaware that even the mortals are closing in on them. The only way to survive is to fight, no matter the consequence. One-shot that contains action and bromance. No Yaoi.


**Note: _Ge_ means _older brother_. It's used two ways: when a younger sibling addresses an older brother, and when someone uses it as an endearing title towards a male who is older. This story is based off the novel, but the characters are more like the drama.**

"Ge, will we get killed?"

Ka Suo looked at his little brother's innocent, young face and said, "No, I will protect you, and you will always live, to become the next king."

Ka Suo and Ying Kong Shi, surviving princes of the immortal Ice Tribe, lost their kingdom to the malicious Fire Tribe in a devastating war. Forced to flee the three realms, and leave behind their parents, the half-brothers hid in the moral world.

Without previous interactions among humans, neither quite knew what to do. The only thing they knew was that they had to hide both themselves, and their identities, else the Fire Tribe would come and slaughter them. Thankfully, Ka Suo had a curious nature, and had made inquiries about mortals, and their world prior to the war. Men worked jobs. Working a job earned money, and with money one could obtain food and shelter.

That settled it. Ka Suo possessed ice powers, and used them to turn water into ice sculptures, which he then tried to sell. Shi didn't know anything about business. He watched his brother work, fascinated at this new concept. But as the sun rose, it beat down on the immortals in waves of intense heat. Something wet dripped of Shi's hair. "Ge, what is this?"

"I'm not sure. Mortals call it _sweat_. It comes out of one's body when the environment undergoes extreme temperatures," Ka Suo said.

Shi sidled next to him, glanced around the bustling marketplace. Lowered his voice. "It's too hot out here. Could it be they've found us?"

Ka Suo shook his head, and started to gather the ice sculptures off their makeshift table. Shi surveyed the area again. Something nearby emitted strange vibes. He couldn't pinpoint the source, but whatever is was, he didn't like it.

More mortals poured into the streets, including a caravan of men, and camels, and carts loaded with silk cloth. Fine gold and silver braided in their beards, glinted in the natural light. The head of the group wore many chains and rings, and a saddle blanket with jade beads for tassels clothed his proud stallion. There was the sound of heavy metal clanking, too heavy to come from their wealthy display. Then came the wind.

It swept into the marketplace, knocking down tents, tearing at the moral's robes. Ka Suo snatched Shi, ducked under the table, and covered them with his cloak. Stinging needles swirled about them. They came from the ground up. Shi clutched his brother's sleeve, squinted. He wanted to ask what these yellow needles were, but his throat and lungs burned from their sudden assault.

Through a hole in Ka Suo's cloak, he caught a glimpse of the caravan. The stallion had bolted. The man at the head had taken cover under another table across the street, and now crouched low, one hand on the ground, the other on a metal object at his hip. Red flashed. The wind died down to a faint breeze, and as the needles settled like snow falling to the earth, and the men's cloaks fell back down, Shi saw the source of the metallic clanking.

Before Shi could yell, Ka Suo clamped a hand over his mouth, forced him to lie flat. When he inhaled, the needles entered the younger brother's nostrils, and when he exhaled, they exited. He held his breath until he could feel his ears and chest heat up. A pulse shot through his stomach. He wanted to look, but Ka Suo pressed his cheek against the ground.

The caravan gathered their bearings, then, after a brief exchange with the head, split up in all directions. Swords slid out of sheaths. Red glows lit up the streets like torches in midday. Sweat beaded on Shi's forehead. Those blades weren't forged in the mortal world. The Fire Tribe must've made a bargain with the local bandits to search for them. How much his and Ka Suo's heads were worth, he didn't dare imagine. If they were caught, what would these men do to them? Slaughter them on the spot? Capture them, and turn them over the Fire Tribe? Sell them into slavery?

Shi felt Ka Suo's weight lessen. "Follow me," his brother whispered, gripped him by the arm. They crawled into the open. The caravan was gone. Ka Suo broke into a jog, headed for the end of the marketplace, where no glow could be seen. "Where are we going?" Shi asked.

"Out."

Shi forced his clenched fists to relax. Ka Suo wouldn't let anything happen to them.

The brothers slowed to broken walk, stopping now and then to check for signs of pursuit. Wooden gates marked the exit. Shi reached for the handles, but Ka Suo pulled him back, put a finger to his lips. He gave his brother a quizzical look. Releasing his grip, Ka Suo mouthed two words: _wait here_ , and loosened the strings on a sack he'd taken during the flight.

Only now did Shi notice his brother had packed the ice sculptures right before the strange wind. Ka Suo must've known something was wrong with the caravan, and had prepared for their flight in advance.

The little immortal boy smiled in spite of the situation. His Ge could do anything. This information put him at ease, and he watched Ka Suo approach the gates, palms open, body coiled. Open palms meant… Shi took a step forward. What had he missed?

All appeared calm, and quiet to him, yet at the same time, something was missing—one puzzle piece that'd put everything into place. No one was there to block their escape. Quiet—

 _The guards. They're gone._

The sun rose to its zenith. Dull metal lit aflame. An open palm struck. Shi stumbled backward, landed on the ground with a heavy _thud_. The impact left him breathless. Blue and red lights flashed, rotated, and vanished, spitting out two bandits, and Ka Suo. Ice sculptures fell at their feet. The blue light from Ka Suo's palms went out like wind striking a candle.

Shi scrambled to his feet, searched for the guards—anyone who could help. The mortals watched from a safe distance as the bandits sheathed their swords, and whipped out spiked chains. Ka Suo dropped into a roll, lit his palms, and formed a ring of ice around them.

"Over here!" Shi fell into step behind Ka Suo, and together the two brothers bolted. They didn't know where they were going, but they had to escape the Fire Tribe's eyes. Little did either prince know this was the beginning of a thirty-year pursuit.

With sweat-soaked clothes, and a sand-plastered face, Shi broke into a huge smile. He didn't care about the future. He was happy to go anywhere, as long as he was with his Ge.


End file.
